If you saw the last issue of Mutineer and our special report on Seattle’s Jones Soda Co., then you know that we can appreciate some good soda, but Hindu cow urine cola is certain to test the mettle of even the most die-hard Mutineer soda junkies.

The organization behind the cow urine cola is the Rashtriya Swayamesevak Sangh (RSS), a “Hindu nationalist conservative party [that] plans to sell ‘Gau Jal’, or ‘Cow Water’, as a rival to soft drink giants Pepsi and Coca Cola”, according to MSN News UK. See the full post »

You can find beer festivals all across America from small town gatherings to those large enough to be held in convention centers. As craft beer becomes more available and more understood people want to experience what American beer culture is all about. See the full post »

The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers packed off to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for the second day of activities. The morning was occupied by discussions of readable wine writing from Frank Prial, the pioneering wine writer at the New York Times and the impact of climate change on global wine styles. Lastly, a discussion of how great topics gestate. Corie Brown, who recently parachuted out of the sinking Los Angeles Times, said she never had a passion for The Great Wine Tasting Experience, but found stories at events such as auctions and the people who were there. She also reminded all present that they were not the story. See the full post »

It appears things got pretty epic at the “Twestival LA” last Thursday at Club 740 in Los Angeles. The evening’s entertainment was headlined by Joe Rogan of Fear Factor (and the UFC) doing comedy along with Ben Morrison from Punk’d hosting with a score of other performers and notables present. The event was to benefit charity: water and those who struggle without water all over the world, which is a very cool cause and another side to the world of fine beverage. See the full post »

According to Louise Kiernan from the Chicago Tribune, you shouldn’t be reading this. At the opening session for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers, Kiernan suggested that bloggers and writers step away from the screen and go out and have a life, and meet people (drinking wine optional but encouraged). Her presentation encompassed things to do less (work, write and make assumptions) and things to do more (ask questions – the harder the better and learn how to search court documents and doing FOIA requests, read and surf). Although some of this is a bit contradictory, it’s common sense. Reading other wine blogs has taught me things I have stolen and used and things I would never do even if water boarded. Among those soaking up this advice included Eric Asimov of the New York Times, Tyler Colman, author of “Wine Politics” and Alder Yarrow of Vinography.

The fine people at Dos Lunas Tequila sent me a sample of their silver tequila, and I must say it is quite delicious. I’m waiting to try the Anejo and Reposado versions before I write too much about the tequila itself. My contact at “DLT” told me to check out some worthwhile cocktail recipes on the Dos Lunas site, which I can only describe as America: The Website. Imagine a marriage of America and Flash graphics taken way too far, coupled with shredding Guitar Hero music, all leading up to a silhouette of a wolf howling at the moon, and you can start to grasp the epic-ness of this website. If I was in charge of the website I’d keep the America theme, but make the music Ennio Morricone’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and instead of a wolf howling at the moon, I’d have an intense video of a wolf battling a grizzly bear for forest turf. Yes, that is how I would do the website. Did I mention that Dos Lunas is the Official Tequila of the Miami Dolphins? Yes, these people are for real. See the full post »

Today is not a good day to be an Oregon brewer, because today Oregon brewers are asking themselves how they are going to remain competitive with their elected officials looking to raise the excise tax on the state’s brewers by nearly 2,000%. See the full post »

We have all heard about the drugs and cat fighting involved in the shady underworld of supermodel fame. The bitchy attitudes and sense of entitlement that runs rampant in this elitist career never seems to wither. Well one of the high priestesses of supermodel stardom is back in the news and this time she apparently thought it was a good idea to pound some beers during make-up and snub her fellow model. See the full post »